Absolutely love banking

Been doing m&a / ECM for 2 years and am one of the few analysts who absolutely loves it. For example:

  • get a kick when I get a complex model working / make something from scratch
  • absolutely killer when seniors take me out for a client meeting and I get to exchange business cards and contribute to client discussions
  • love it when I get praised by VPs/MDs for being a 'good guy' and 'sharp'
  • feel great when I need to teach / explain stuff to interns and new joiners (no arrogance, treat them with complete respect)
  • love seeing the new analyst / intern class every year - smartest graduates in the country, all willing to give everything to succeed (though quite a few give up in 6months)
  • enjoy working with lot of different teams in banks to meet more and more TypeA people, see how they react to situations and how they operate in life in general
  • love networking all the time and increasing my contact base

Is this weird? For me it's hard to imagine life outside the bank / finance industry anymore in general...

 

Congratulations, there are few people in the world that can say they truly enjoy their work. You found your niche, embrace it. Who cares what other people think/what is weird. That being said however, make sure you work to live, not live to work.

 

Congrats, you've found a job you love - not many people can say they truly enjoy their work haha. Who cares what others think? You're happy & enjoying your life! Congrats once again! :)

 

I tick 5 of your 7 boxes. Great attitude you've got there.

I also love presentations. But the model buidling is my crpytonite. My first assciate in ER wanted me to do a simple DCF template for a security he was interested in. I went total ape-shit! Built an entire macro with all the bells & whistles. The guy called me into his office and flat out called me a freak. Good times!

__________
 

Congrats! It sounds like you work with an encouraging, supportive group at your BB. I think one of the reasons so many bankers hate their job is because the people around them are assholes. This is especially true of VP's/MD's. When I was interning at a Boutique, my VP never had a single positive thing to say for 3 months! It was truly miserable working for that man, lol.

 

I'm with you OP...I absolutely love what I do too!

F500 Tech CorpDev & Strat

  • Love the fact that I am part of developing strategies for cutting edge tech products that the public won't see or use for 3-5 years.
  • Love being surrounded by and working with incredibly brilliant people across all groups (business, finance, marketing, engineering, etc.)
  • I love learning about new disruptive technologies and learning more and more about the industry everyday.
  • I enjoy getting to interact on a daily basis with awesome startups / target company CEOs and heavy hitter VC partners who I can just call and schedule time to chat...it's pretty cool to be a 26 year old guy and be able to get on ron conway or marc andreessen's calendar.
  • Love getting to interact with our CEO daily; a guy that anyone in the business world would kill to spend 5 min with.
  • Love the fact that I get to influence the targets we go after and getting to lead deals then seeing their products / etc. integrated into our products for millions of people to enjoy.
  • Love seeing when work that I led ends up on the WSJ, Tech Crunch, Venture Beat, Engadget, etc. and knowing that I played a big role in making it happen.
  • Get a kick out of having a BB send a whole team of 3 MDs and 2 VPs to come and pitch me and suck up to me and only me, a lowly associate / manager, and then realizing that none of them know anything about the industry (I've yet to meet a single banker that actually has any real knowledge of the tech industry...I always feel like im just talking to well dressed car salesmen).
  • I thoroughly enjoy the fact that I can call any bank and have them put together whatever info / slides / data I want because they want my business knowing full well on the inside that we will never hire them and will likely never buy any of the companies they come and pitch to us b/c they have no clue what our actual tech / biz needs are and they just come and pitch crap.
 
harvardgrad08:
I'm with you OP...I absolutely love what I do too!

F500 Tech CorpDev & Strat

  • Love the fact that I am part of developing strategies for cutting edge tech products that the public won't see or use for 3-5 years.
  • Love being surrounded by and working with incredibly brilliant people across all groups (business, finance, marketing, engineering, etc.)
  • I love learning about new disruptive technologies and learning more and more about the industry everyday.
  • I enjoy getting to interact on a daily basis with awesome startups / target company CEOs and heavy hitter VC partners who I can just call and schedule time to chat...it's pretty cool to be a 26 year old guy and be able to get on ron conway or marc andreessen's calendar.
  • Love getting to interact with our CEO daily; a guy that anyone in the business world would kill to spend 5 min with.
  • Love the fact that I get to influence the targets we go after and getting to lead deals then seeing their products / etc. integrated into our products for millions of people to enjoy.
  • Love seeing when work that I led ends up on the WSJ, Tech Crunch, Venture Beat, Engadget, etc. and knowing that I played a big role in making it happen.
  • Get a kick out of having a BB send a whole team of 3 MDs and 2 VPs to come and pitch me and suck up to me and only me, a lowly associate / manager, and then realizing that none of them know anything about the industry (I've yet to meet a single banker that actually has any real knowledge of the tech industry...I always feel like im just talking to well dressed car salesmen).
  • I thoroughly enjoy the fact that I can call any bank and have them put together whatever info / slides / data I want because they want my business knowing full well on the inside that we will never hire them and will likely never buy any of the companies they come and pitch to us b/c they have no clue what our actual tech / biz needs are and they just come and pitch crap.

Congrats to you and OP. You both seem to be having a blast and building something important. Don't stop performing (full speed ahead), but keep the sense of purpose. Enjoy the best years to profile your knowledge and professional satisfaction.

Later in your careers you'll deal with more philosophical questions, and consider progressing into other stages. You'll be grateful for having a solid base and enjoyed what you have done... Keep an eye on the other pillars of life (social, sports, friends&family, spiritual, etc.)

Very simple: Do what you love, love what you do!

 
harvardgrad08:
I'm with you OP...I absolutely love what I do too!

F500 Tech CorpDev & Strat

  • Love the fact that I am part of developing strategies for cutting edge tech products that the public won't see or use for 3-5 years.
  • Love being surrounded by and working with incredibly brilliant people across all groups (business, finance, marketing, engineering, etc.)
  • I love learning about new disruptive technologies and learning more and more about the industry everyday.
  • I enjoy getting to interact on a daily basis with awesome startups / target company CEOs and heavy hitter VC partners who I can just call and schedule time to chat...it's pretty cool to be a 26 year old guy and be able to get on ron conway or marc andreessen's calendar.
  • Love getting to interact with our CEO daily; a guy that anyone in the business world would kill to spend 5 min with.
  • Love the fact that I get to influence the targets we go after and getting to lead deals then seeing their products / etc. integrated into our products for millions of people to enjoy.
  • Love seeing when work that I led ends up on the WSJ, Tech Crunch, Venture Beat, Engadget, etc. and knowing that I played a big role in making it happen.
  • Get a kick out of having a BB send a whole team of 3 MDs and 2 VPs to come and pitch me and suck up to me and only me, a lowly associate / manager, and then realizing that none of them know anything about the industry (I've yet to meet a single banker that actually has any real knowledge of the tech industry...I always feel like im just talking to well dressed car salesmen).
  • I thoroughly enjoy the fact that I can call any bank and have them put together whatever info / slides / data I want because they want my business knowing full well on the inside that we will never hire them and will likely never buy any of the companies they come and pitch to us b/c they have no clue what our actual tech / biz needs are and they just come and pitch crap.

See I know this is true and god it makes me want to get out of banking ASAP.

Now the OP...he has to be full of shit

 
leveredarb:
OP is a troll

also lol at smartest graduates in the country

in case your not trolling OP, get help something must be wrong with you

Exactly, why are people taking this seriously!

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 
Oreos:
leveredarb:
OP is a troll

also lol at smartest graduates in the country

in case your not trolling OP, get help something must be wrong with you

Exactly, why are people taking this seriously!

I've seen thousands of threads on this site, i'm guessing not a troll and put it on homepage. If it is, shame on me
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Best Response

If you look at the majority of reasons why the OP "loves banking," most of them are not exclusive to banking at all. The OP loves interacting with successful people, receiving praise from his superiors for doing a good job, and working with really smart people. While banking certainly offers all of these things, so do many other jobs out there.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

I'm only a couple months into banking but have to say I really enjoy it. This may be due to the fact I am coming from the back office, because my hours don't suck too much, or because I'm treated more like an associate than an analyst (at a very small boutique).

I find that my days are generally pretty interesting, I don't dread coming to work, and I actually feel like work is rewarding. Granted I'm not at a BB doing 100 hr weeks and cranking out model after model (I get a decent amount of direct client interaction), but I have to say I would take these 70 hr weeks and occasional berating from senior guys over my laid back, stress free 50 hr weeks in the back office.

Also, agree with a lot of the stuff CompBanker said but I should add- front office finance is just genuinely more interesting than a lot of other cubicle jobs.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 

Congrats kid. I know very few people who actually love their job. M&A is sexy tho.

"Whether he chooses or not, every man is drawn into the great historical struggle, the decisive battle into which our epoch has plunged us.” -Mises
 
asiamoney:
Maybe I'm naive, but this sounds like a legit post to me. Doesn't seem like an effective troll if that was the intention.

Anyways, as others have said, it's great to see that someone out there loves banking. Congrats!

The success of a troll is measured by how many people believe it and by the attention it receives.

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 

"The other day, my MD pointed at ME and called me HIS resource........... I nearly fainted"

That's great that you are enjoying your work, and even better that you seem to like educating others.

"That dude is so haole, he don't even have any breath left."
 

I have never met anyone in investment banking that thinks like this. sometimes, i have some good periods, but i have realized that they are good because work is slow and i can leave early, go out for drinks, relax during the day, etc.

As soon as the work begins again, I think "this is fucked up" and "I fucking hate this shit." So, it's nice to get the high salary and live easy, but if you are working like the normal IB life, then nothing i know of can make it worth it, and i look around and see the faces of all of my colleagues of all levels and i cannot find passion on their faces.

Go East, Young Man
 

Hahaha. If true, good for you.

I think people would greatly appreciate banking if the hours were toned down even slightly. If it were a 60 - 70 hour a week job with less fluctuations, I think morale would be higher and people would appreciate the upsides to it a lot more.

 
TheKing:
Hahaha. If true, good for you.

I think people would greatly appreciate banking if the hours were toned down even slightly. If it were a 60 - 70 hour a week job with less fluctuations, I think morale would be higher and people would appreciate the upsides to it a lot more.

How can working 95-100 hour weeks NOT be counter productive? I just don't get it. Why not boost junior staff count by 10-15% - wouldn't you find a lot less errors in pitchbooks without analysts having to finish them with a pounding headache and warped mind at 5am? And of course, the moral element you spoke of...
 
swagon:
TheKing:
Hahaha. If true, good for you.

I think people would greatly appreciate banking if the hours were toned down even slightly. If it were a 60 - 70 hour a week job with less fluctuations, I think morale would be higher and people would appreciate the upsides to it a lot more.

How can working 95-100 hour weeks NOT be counter productive? I just don't get it. Why not boost junior staff count by 10-15% - wouldn't you find a lot less errors in pitchbooks without analysts having to finish them with a pounding headache and warped mind at 5am? And of course, the moral element you spoke of...

Totally agree...this is why I probably enjoy my job despite the fact that I'm basically doing the same thing that any IBD associate + management consultant does. I get the same kind of work but put in 60 hours a week for slightly lower pay...

 

hey OP, did you happen to lose some bet nd were forced to post this while big swinging dick stood behind you and played mambo no. 5

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." ~George Moore
 
Bea.tallica:
Been doing m&a / ECM for 2 years and am one of the few analysts who absolutely loves it. For example:
  • get a kick when I get a complex model working / make something from scratch
  • absolutely killer when seniors take me out for a client meeting and I get to exchange business cards and contribute to client discussions
  • love it when I get praised by VPs/MDs for being a 'good guy' and 'sharp'
  • feel great when I need to teach / explain stuff to interns and new joiners (no arrogance, treat them with complete respect)
  • love seeing the new analyst / intern class every year - smartest graduates in the country, all willing to give everything to succeed (though quite a few give up in 6months)
  • enjoy working with lot of different teams in banks to meet more and more TypeA people, see how they react to situations and how they operate in life in general
  • love networking all the time and increasing my contact base

Is this weird? For me it's hard to imagine life outside the bank / finance industry anymore in general...

I'm sorry, but I have some serious problems with some of these points: "Complex" models.... Financial models can only get so complex. Unless you're talking about quant models, the "complexity" (lack thereof) of these models is a huge turn-off to some people. These days, even fully mathematically understanding Black-Scholes really only takes a trivial amount of mathematics compared to what's out there.

"smartest graduates in the country"? Are you kidding me with this? If you really have spent time with the population investment bankers and think that analysts compose the smartest groups of graduates in the country... you have very interesting conception of what smart is. Maybe an appropriate one, but one that doesn't seem characteristic of someone with your level of education. Type A people sure. But that has nothing to do with smart.

 

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"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 

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